Bobbin support



p 1938. c. BROWN 2 1 BOBBIN SUPPORT Filed April 6, 1958 INVENTOR. 6746A 0. 5E C W/V.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFIQE BOBBIN SUPPORT ration of Maine Application April 6, 1938, Serial No. 200,463

7 Claims.

The present invention pertains to automatic bobbin changing looms and has more particular reference to bobbin supporting devices for such looms.

Bobbin changing looms commonly include a hopper for holding a reserve supply of bobbins and successively presenting such bobbins in position to be transferred, a transferrer for transferring the bobbins to the loom shuttle, means for initiating operation of the transferring mecl1- anism, and a bobbin supporting device for supporting the bobbin in the hopper which is in position to be transferred. The said means for initiating operation of the transferrer comprises several parts, including the usual shuttle feeler, having operative movement timed to occur well in advance of the beginning of the transferring movement of the transferrer.

Prior bobbin supporting devices of the type mentioned above have been constructed and arranged to be moved to and from bobbin supporting position by the transferrer. In bobbin supporting position, such devices are located beneath the bobbin in the path which the latter 0 must follow in being transferred to the shuttle,

and are withdrawn from said path simultaneously with movement of the transferrer. Such prior devices are subject to the disadvantage that, being operated by the transferrer, the device can have only a limited movement which starts so late that it may not be withdrawn in time to avoid interference with the bobbin which is being transferred.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a bobbin changing loom having a hopper, transferrer, and shuttle feeler as aforesaid, and a bobbin supporting device which is withdrawn from bobbin supporting position simultaneously with movement of the shuttle feeler, whereby such device is withdrawn well in ad- Vance of any movement of the transferrer, thereby avoiding any possibility of interfering with transfer of the bobbin.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are accomplished in the construction illustrated on the accompanying drawing, of which:

Fig. 1 is a view in cross-section showing part of a bobbin changing loom having the preferred embodiment of my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is .a similar view illustrating operation of the parts at the time of transfer;

Fig. 3 is a detail view partly in section; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in plan and. partly in section, of the said preferred embodiment.

The drawing shows only part of a loom having my invention applied thereto, the parts and mechanisms not shown being of any suitable usual construction and not of the present invention. In addition, certain of the parts shown on the drawing are not new per se, they being of the present invention only in that they may be used in conjunction with the bobbin support- 10 ing device hereinafter described to form a complete operative combination.

The usual lay l is mounted to reciprocate toward and from the front of the loom, the front being at the left on Figs. 1 and 2. The lay car-, 1 ries at its right hand end a shuttle box 2 for receiving the shuttle 3. The shuttle contains a bobbin 4 which is adapted to be ejected from the shuttle and replaced by a fresh bobbin whenever the filling supply on the bobbin 4 becomes substantially exhausted.

Reserve bobbins 5, 5 are carried by a suitable hopper, the drawing showing a conventional rotary hopper which includes a stand 5 and a revolving disc 1. The butts of the bobbins 5 are supported by the disc I and another disc, not shown, supports the tips of the bobbins. The discs have step-by-step rotating movement to successively present the reserve bobbins 5 in transferring position 5 which is directly over 30 the shuttle box 2, as is well known in the art.

The bobbin changing mechanism includes a transferrer 8 which is pivoted on a stud 9 in the stand 6 and which includes a rearwardly extending arm having a head l0 positioned directly 35 over the bobbin 5 in transferring position. The transferrer 8 is normally stationary but is periodically given a bobbin transferring movement, during which the head it moves downwardly to drive the bobbin 5 into the shuttle 3 and expel bobbin 4 therefrom. Such movement of the transferrer occurs when the usual latch (not shown), on depending arm I I, is tilted upwardly and is subsequently struck by bunter l2 on the front of the lay.

The tilting of the aforesaid latch on arm ll is effected by the usual means for initiating a transferring operation, which means is well known in the art and is accordingly not illustrated in detail. Of such means, there is shown, 50 however, a shuttle feeler l3 which is pivoted at M to a bracket IS on the loom frame. The shuttle feeler extends from its pivot l4 upwardly at I 6 and then rearwardly at ii. The shuttle feeler, like other parts of the means for initiating a transferring operation, is normally stationary but is given an operative movement prior to each transferring operation of the transferrer 8; The shuttle feeler, when stationary, is in its forwardmost position as shown by Fig. l. The operative movement of the shuttle feeler I3 is, then, rearwardly to the position shown by Fig. 2, in which position the shuttle feeler detects Whether or not the shuttle 3 is projecting out of the shuttle box 2. After the transferring operation is completed, the shuttle feeler is re turned forwardly to its Fig. 1 position.

The bobbin 5 in transferring position tends to drop down out of disc 1 and to turn around in the hopper. For this reason, it is necessary to provide the loom with a bobbin supporting device for holding the bobbin up in place in the hopper. The bobbin can be simply and positively held in place by a bobbin supporting device which, in bobbin supporting position, is located directly under the butt of the bobbin 5 Such a device is in the path along which the bobbin must move in being transferred to the shuttle 3, hence the bobbin supporting device must be withdrawn from its bobbin supporting position before the bobbin can be transferred.

In the particular embodiment shown, my improved bobbin supporting device includes a Bowden wire I8 having at one end thereof a head F9 from which projects a plunger 20. The head I!) is clamped to the stand 6 by a suitable metal clip 2! and is so located that the plunger 20 extends parallel to bobbin 5 directly underneath the butt thereof. The plunger 20 holds the bobbin 5 up in the hopper and thus prevents the bobbin from dropping down and turning. The plunger is, of course, withdrawn from beneath the bobbin before the latter is transferred. The Bowden wire, having its plunger directly engaging the bobbin in transferring position, is a very simple and effective bobbin supporting device independently of the manner of operating the wire to withdraw the plunger 20. In addi tion, the invention provides a novel means for withdrawing a bobbin support, such as plunger 26, from bobbin supporting position.

According to the present invention the Bowden wire i8 is operated by a suitable part of the above mentioned means for initiating operation of the transferrer which moves simultaneously with the shuttle feeler i3, but preferably by a surface 22 on the upwardly extending arm l6. To this end, the end of the wire l8 which is oppo site to the head 19 is provided with a head 23 having a plunger 24 projecting therefrom. The head 23 is fixed to the loom frame by a clamp 25 and is so located that the plunger 24 will be engaged by the arm 16 and moved forwardly when the shuttle feeler is in its forward position.

Fig. 3 shows in detail the construction of the end of the Bowden wire having the head 23. It will be seen that the wire consists of a sheath 26 having a steel wire 21 therein, the head 23 fixed on the end of the sheath, the plunger 24 slidably mounted in the head and a compression spring 28 acting on the plunger to cause the latter to project out of the head. The head [9 is identical in construction except that the spring therein (not shown) is arranged to tend to withdraw the plunger 20 into the head. Thus, when plunger 24 is depressed, i. e., forced into the head 23, the wire 21 will push plunger 23 out'of head I9, and when plunger 24 is released the plunger 29 will be with drawn within the head I 9.

In the construction above described, the

plunger 20 constitutes a bobbin supporting device which is normally positioned under the butt of the bobbin which is in transferring position. However, when the shuttle feeler is given its rearward operative movement, the surface 22 moves away from the plunger 24 and allows the latter to move rearwardly. This results in the bobbin supporting plunger being withdrawn from beneath the bobbin and permits the latter to be transferred to the shuttle. Then, after movement of the transferrer is completed, the shuttle feeler returns forwardly to its normal position and in so doing engages plunger 24 to thereby return plunger 20 to bobbin supporting position. The bobbin supporting plunger is thus withdrawn Wellbefore any movement of the transferrer takes place, and is not returned until after transfer is completed and a new bobbin is presented in transferring position.

Having fully disclosed the preferred embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. In a bobbin changing loom, the combination of a hopper arranged to successively present reserve bobbins in transferring position, a transferrer, a bobbin support normally engaging and supporting the bobbin which is in transferring position, a shuttle feeler having an operative movement prior to each transferring-operation, and means for withdrawing said bobbin support from bobbin engaging position simultaneously with said movement of said shuttle feeler.

2. In a bobbin changing loom, the combination of a hopper arranged to successively present reserve bobbins in transferring position, a transferrer having a periodic bobbin transferring movement, a bobbin support normally engaging and supporting the bobbin which is in transferring position, a shuttle feeler having an operative movement prior to each transferring movement of said transferrer, and means operated by said shuttle feeler for withdrawing said bobbin support from bobbin engaging position.

3. In a bobbin changing loom, the combination of a rotary hopper arranged to successively present reserve bobbins in transferring position, a normally stationary transferrer having a periodic bobbin transferring movement, a bobbin support normally engaging and supporting the bobbin which is in transferring position, a shuttle feeler,

and means operated by said shuttle feeler for withdrawing said bobbin support from bobbin engaging position prior to each said movement of said transferrer and for returning the same to bobbin engaging position after completion of each said movement of the transferrer.

4. In a bobbin changing loom, the combination of a rotary hopper arranged to successively present reserve bobbins in transferring position, a

. normally stationary transferrer having a periodic bobbin transferring movement, a bobbin support normally engaging and -supporting the bobbin which is in transferring position, a shuttle feeler moving rearwardly prior to each said movement of said transferrer and forwardly after each said movement of the transferrer, and means operating simultaneously with said shuttle feeler for withdrawing said bobbin support from bobbin engaging position as the shuttle feeler moves rearwardly and returning the bobbin support to its said position as the shuttle feeler moves forwardly.

5. In a bobbin changing loom, the combination of a hopper arranged to successively present reserve bobbins in transferring position, a transferrer, a Bowden wire having at one end thereof a plunger projecting under and supporting the bobbin which is in transferring position, and means actuating said wire towithdraw said plunger from bobbin supporting position prior to each transferring operation, said means restoring said plunger to bobbin supporting position after each said transferring operation.

6. In a bobbin changing loom, the combination of a hopper arranged to successively present reserve bobbins in transferring position, a transferrer, a Bowden wire having at one end. thereof a plunger projecting under and supporting the bobbin which is in transferring position, a shuttle feeler having an operative movement prior to each transferring operation, a surface moving simultaneously with said shuttle feeler and normally engaging the other end of said Bowden wire to hold said plunger in bobbin supporting position, and means for withdrawing said plunger from bobbin supporting position when said shuttle feeler moves as aforesaid.

7. In a bobbin changing loom, the combination of a rotary hopper arranged to successively present reserve bobbins in transferring position, a transferrer, a Bowden wire supported by said hopper and having at one end a plunger projecting under and supporting the bobbin which is in transferring position, a shuttle feeler moving rearwardly prior to each transferring operation and forwardly after each such transferring operation, said shuttle feeler having a surface engaging the other end of said Bowden wire and thereby holding said plunger in bobbin supporting position when the shuttle feeler is forward, said surface releasing said wire when the shuttle feeler moves rearwardly, and a spring acting on said wire to withdraw said plunger from bobbin supporting position when the wire is released by said surface.

CARL D. BROWN. 

